Tuesday, November 18, 2008

RACER X ON ATTACK

I swore upon my mother’s honor after trying my first glass of BEAR REPUBLIC’s RACER X that, alas, “I’d try it again”, and that day arrived last week. RACER X is their intense, “barleywine-style” Double IPA, and it’s a friggin’ doozy. It's only available on draft, and only in Northern California, I believe (I've since been corrected in the comments section below). It’s related to the much-heralded RACER 5 only in the sense that it’s “hoppy”. Like ten times more hoppy. The bitterness is just omnipresent – you can smell the hops, you can taste the pine needles, and this time my take on the beer could be boiled down to one word: HARSH. As in “it totally harshed on my mellow”. It’s something that I started getting a little more used to as I drank it, but overall I had to admit it just wasn’t that enjoyable. I’m downgrading this one from my previous 7/10 to a more average – and below-average for craft beer – 5.5/10. Approach with caution, unlike this young lass.

8 comments:

hey, that picture is me! i love Racer X, personally (and obviously.) the hops are so crisp, gives it a bite that most other DIPAs don't have. if Russian River's Pliny the Elder is a 10/10 - and i assure you, it is - then Racer X is surely at least a 9.

This shows up in So Cal occasionally. I had it at Stone last year, and I remember it being a really nice drinkable double IPA (it must've had good hop flavor and not have been to syrupy). I wonder if they've changed the recipe at all in the last year. Wish it was around more often so I could get a real good idea of what it's like.

wow, i thought this was one of the best beers at GABFest. Not too harsh at all imo. I'd heard it described as Racer 5's big brother. Not a session beer by any means, but i enjoy it as well as the Stone Ruination. Just can't drink anything else afterwards, it kills your palate. Kinda like the Hop Rod Rye kills your desire for other beers that night.